Wilkerson Crane Rental of Kansas City, Kansas purchased three telescopic crawler cranes—a 250-ton (235-mt) TCC-2500, and two 140-ton (127-mt) TCC-1400s—with a customer and project in mind.
According to Larry Smith, Sales and Estimating Manager for Wilkerson Crane Rental, the contractor knew which cranes they wanted for a 69-turbine wind project near Joplin, Missouri. Wilkerson then began a search for additional TCC-1400’s since their other Link-Belt telecrawlers were on other projects. Their Link-Belt dealer supplied the two additional units directly without having to ship from the factory.
“The TCCs get around so well. They can walk down a dirt road on tracks, or across rough fields and suck in the boom for easy travel,” said Smith. “They can get around so well while they are picking and carrying. They’re so agile, almost perfect for the work they’re doing out here. You couldn’t ask for a better crane, really.”
All three Link-Belt telecrawlers are nimble enough to assemble larger 715-ton lattice crawlers onsite, while also unloading turbine components off transport trucks for eventual assembly. The TCC crane operators are usually working in a 35-to-40-foot (10.6 – 12.1 m) radius, although working up to a 100-foot (30.4 m) radius is common. Crane boom configuration can be from 85-105 feet (25.9 – 32 m) out or more, while the boom angle varies upon space available and placement with changing load weights.
“When someone needs a telecrawler of any nature, we generally turn to a Link-Belt,” Smith explained. “We’ve had good luck with Link-Belt and as far as the customers go, customers love them. Everything is a quality-control situation, so quality is what we give them. It’s not something that they have to work on all the time or have headaches. ‘Raised right’ is Wilkerson’s company motto—the right crane, proper training, caring owners and company personnel, to have any lift raised right.”
